page_title: STS-115
section_title: 14 September (Flight day 6)
hierarchical_section_title: STS-115 / Mission timeline / 14 September (Flight day 6)
caption_attribution_description: Space Shuttle Atlantis astronauts spread a second set of wings for the International Space Station today. The new solar arrays were fully extended at 7:44 a.m CDT. The new arrays span a total of 240 feet and have a width of 38 feet. They are attached to the station's newest component, the P3/P4 integrated truss segment. The installation of the P3/P4, which occurred Tuesday, and the deployment of the arrays set the stage for future expansion of the station.
context_page_description: STS-115 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the first assembly mission to the ISS after the Columbia disaster, following the two successful Return to Flight missions, STS-114 and STS-121. STS-115 launched from LC-39B at the Kennedy Space Center on 9 September 2006 at 11:14:55 EDT.
  The mission is also referred to as ISS-12A by the ISS program. The mission delivered the second port-side truss segment, a pair of solar arrays, and batteries. A total of three spacewalks were performed, during which the crew connected the systems on the installed trusses, prepared them for deployment, and did other maintenance work on the station.
  STS-115 was originally scheduled to launch in April 2003. The Columbia accident in February 2003 pushed the date back to 27 August 2006, which was again moved back for various reasons, including a threat from Tropical Storm Ernesto and the strongest lightning strike to ever hit an occupied shuttle launchpad.
context_section_description: Day 6 continued the installation of the solar array. The unfurling of the solar panels themselves began a little behind schedule due to the problem encountered on Day 5 with SARJ. This problem was determined to be in the software, and a workaround was developed. The unfurling of the panels continued throughout the morning in stages to prevent the panels sticking, as they did during STS-97. It was noted by the crew that some panels were still sticking together, but this didn't cause any problems. Although the installation has been completed, the solar arrays will not provide power to the station until the next shuttle mission, STS-116, scheduled for December 2006, when the station will undergo a major electrical system rewiring.
  Other activities of Day 6 included a "double walk off" of the station's Canadarm2 from its current location at the Mobile Base System to the Destiny Laboratory Module and the preparation for the mission's third spacewalk. A number of interviews were also conducted later in the day, between Jett & MacLean and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper & students.
caption: A solar array on the P4 truss fully deployed on Day 6
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